We humans are diurnal, we are awake in the day, and sleep during the night. We have come to live in a noisy daytime world, at night we settle down, and tell our teenagers to turn down the music so we can get some sleep. Unless we live in a busy city, for most people, we are accustomed to silent nights. However there are creatures of the night who are awake and active in the dark while we sleep. Creatures we day beings often fear because they are so unknown to us.

Bats

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This is the lovely Big Eared Townsend Bat.  Bats are not birds, they are mammals. People fear them for a few reasons, the first being that they can carry rabies. Rabies can actually be carried and spread my most meat eating mammals, not just bats. A bat flying around at night is probably fine, it is the bats you see in the daytime acting abnormally that could be a risk. The other reason people fear them is because of one specific breed of bat, the vampire bat, who does drink the blood of animals. Finally people fear them because, as with most “creatures of the night” they move around in the shadows, and to us, this is spooky.

Owls

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A bright eyed owl shows how they are perfectly adapted to night life. Their eyes are large and well set on a round head that actually captures any light. Owls are often referred to as being wise, while they are no dummies of the animal kingdom, their wisdom, this attribute was given to them because of their appearance. Owls are excellent hunters of nighttime prey, which is often rodents, but can include kittens or other birds as well.

Bushbaby

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These little African critters are also called Galago’s. These little guys are brilliant climbers, leaping about tree to tree looking for insects, fruit, or even small animals to eat. Some times people try to keep them as pets, but they really do not benefit from these situations, as they are often forced to be awake in the day, which is difficult on their eyes.

Hamster

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This popular children’s pet is often a problem because of its’ natural nocturnal habits. Hamsters are small and cute, but naturally are awake at night. In many homes this means they are either chewing on the cage bars or running on the wheel. People who are not prepared for a noisy nighttime pet, should probably not get a hamster.

Red-Eyed Tree Frog

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This is the little Red Eyed Tree Frog. It probably wont make a big bump in the night. They are often kept as pets, but in the day fold themselves into small green lumps, it is only at night when their colors are seen. A owner can purchase special night time lights for viewing their pet.

Porcupine

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This photo is blue because it was taken in a zoo exhibit so the animal could be as natural as possible under simulated darkness. There are many porcupine species, this one has a long prehensile tail and is from South America. Porcupines sleep in the day and awaken at night to dine on trees, they seem to especially enjoy my apple trees.

Humboldt Squid

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You probably won’t be bumping into one of these soon. They are carnivores of the deep who come up to feed late at night. In turn squid fishermen come out at night to catch them.

Other Creatures of the Night

Some other night time animals are Skunks, Raccoons, Lemurs, Sugar Gliders, Mink, Honey Badgers, Tarantulas, Hedgehogs, and Teenagers.